Ethanol will power 2007 IndyCar Series season

Nov 13, 2006

A worldwide racing first, the IndyCar Series is poised to open its 2007 season on March 24 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway with the debut of the new 3.5 liter Honda Indy V-8 engine fueled by 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol.

The ethanol industry is proud to be involved in the most significant racing fuel change in recent history. The cutting edge technology developed for this series has performed flawlessly in extended testing. The combined efforts of the ethanol industry and the IndyCar Series have helped drive consumer awareness of ethanol and its performance and environmental benefits.

The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) is responsible for providing the fuel and has contracted Renova Energy, based in Torrington, Wyo., to supply ethanol to the IndyCar Series throughout the 2007 season.

“At the highest level of auto racing, ethanol proved safer and faster and has proved what auto enthusiasts have known for years,” said Tom Slunecka, executive director of EPIC. “Renova Energy produces ethanol the same way, whether for an IndyCar Series car speeding around the track at 220 or a family sedan traveling 25 mph on Main Street.”

Several IndyCar Series engineers worked with Dan Schwartzkopf, senior vice president of Renova Energy, who not only oversees his plant’s ethanol production process but also races several dragsters that are fueled on E85, 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

“The process of transitioning over to100 percent fuel grade ethanol has been seamless from the beginning” said Les Mactaggart, senior technical director for the IndyCar Series. “EPIC, Honda and Renova have been true partners during the process that culminated with successful tests at Daytona International Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Iowa Speedway in September and October.”

The Ethanol-IndyCar Series partnership dates back to 2005 and has advanced from ethanol being a team sponsor to working with the league to introduce an ethanol-methanol blend in 2006 to next year’s introduction of 100 percent fuel grade ethanol. The 17-race 2007 IndyCar Series schedule opens in March, runs through September and includes the Indianapolis 500 on May 26.

“There’s a difference, and it’s all been positive so far,” Simmons said. “It’s great to be one of the guys to have the chance to run the new motor next year with the 100 percent ethanol. It seems to me, so far, we’ve got a broader power band. We’re going through the corners better. It allows us to do some things with gearing whereas you had to be really precise with the gearing last year. We’re able to pull some really good speed even if we’re a little off on the gearing.”

Renova Energy currently produces 10 million gallons of ethanol per year with construction start-up for a 20 million gallon plant in Heyburn, Idaho. Renova Energy Idaho will be online for production in the fall of 2007.

“The Renova Energy Racing team has been using ethanol as a high performance race fuel for more than a decade with great success,” said Schwartzkopf, senior vice president of Renova Energy. “We are very excited about our partnership with EPIC and the IndyCar Series and we see this as an excellent platform to promote the use of ethanol as a motor fuel to the wider public.”

For questions about using ethanol as a race fuel, contact the EPIC offices at 402-932-0567. For more information about ethanol, visit www.drivingethanol.org[2]. For more information about the IndyCar Series, visit www.indycar.com[3]. For more information about Renova Energy, visit www.renovaenergy.com[4].

About the IndyCar Series:

The IndyCar Series is the premier open-wheel series in the United States, competing on a challenging combination of superspeedways, short ovals, scenic road courses and temporary street circuits. In 2007 the IndyCar Series will conduct 16 events in the US and one in Japan, all available worldwide through a comprehensive, long-term agreement with ABC Sports/ ESPN. A leader in motorsports technology, the IndyCar Series is the first racing series to power its Honda engines on 100 percent fuel grade ethanol, a renewable and environmentally-friendly fuel. The IndyCar Series continues to the be the fastest and most competitive racing series, attracting a diverse lineup of drivers including Marco Andretti, Sam Hornish Jr., and Danica Patrick. For more information on the IndyCar Series, please visit www.indycar.com[3].